Lehighton School Tax Kept At 3.9%

June 13, 1995|by CHRISTINA M. PARKER (A free-lance story for The Morning Call).

Lehighton school officials will use money budgeted for unexpected expenses to keep next year's tax increase to 3.9 percent, instead of refinancing a 1991 bond issue as they had planned.

Also last night, the school board agreed to re-advertise the position of girls basketball coach after requests that the present coach be replaced.

When Business Manager John Marcinko first presented his proposed $19.1 million budget, he anticipated a 13-mill tax rate increase, or 6.4 percent. Later, the school board settled on 8 mills.

On the advice of school district financial consultant A. Gregg McLanahan of Public Financial Management Inc., Harrisburg, the school board planned to trim 5 mills, about $150,000, from the increase by refinancing part of a $20 million 1991 bond issue.

But McLanahan last night told the board the financial analyst who reviewed the bond issue made a mistake, and the most the district could save would be about $27,000.

McLanahan said his firm accepted full blame for the mistake.

Marcinko then suggested using $150,000 of the $200,000 the district includes as a line item in its budget for unexpected expenses to keep the tax increase at 8 mills.

The $50,000 left would provide an adequate cushion, he said.

The 8-mill increase would boost the tax rate to 210 mills. That means the owner of a property assessed at $5,000 would pay $1,050 in real estate taxes next year, $40 more than this year.

The board expects to adopt a final budget when it meets June 26.

In other matters, dozens of young women attended last night's meeting to hear the board's response to an earlier request from a player's mother that varsity coach Mike Siddlow be replaced.

The mother, Lynn Schock-Rehrig, said Siddlow coaches poorly, and shows favoritism toward his daughter, who is on the team.

She gave the board a petition opposing Siddlow's re-appointment.

The board last night agreed to open the position.

The young women then left the meeting quietly, but smiling.

In other business, the board:

*Elected Middle School vice principal Barry Reed to replace high school Principal Gordon Ripkey, who retires in mid-August.

The board in February approved Reed to replace Ripkey. Reed will received a $3,000 raise. His present salary was unavailable last night.

*Will hold an expulsion hearing at 6 p.m. June 14.

*Approved a summer driver education program, hiring William Klotz and George Ebbert as teachers at $22 an hour.

*Discussed a change to the school district's weapons policy that also bans items made to look like guns, knives or other weapons.